Welcome Back
by closetgleek45
Summary: Its been 3 years since Noah, Santana and Jake Puckerman-Lopez have seen their cousin Rachel Berry. So when the siblings see that Rachel is at McKinley, they don't know how or why she got there. What they do know is that Rachel has signed up for glee and is the running back on the football team. Cue drama and friendship in the Glee Club. Slight AU, faberry. Read and Review :)
1. Hello Again

**Hey guys, I'm ClosetGleek45 and this is my first story. I hope you all like it, its slightly AU, but follows general storyline from 201. But Beth never happened… well, sort of. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, but if I did, I would totally make Faberry happen.**

* * *

"Hi I'm Jacob Ben Israel coming to you with Glee's BIG GAY SUMMER, with all the dish you want to know!"

* * *

Will Shuester frowned as he watched the interviews that the odd JBI made. He watched in silent pride as Puck declared that he got a vasectomy to avoid another teenage pregnancy, grinned when Mike and Tina were caught holding hands, though he felt bad for Artie. He also couldn't help but scowl at Jacobs's insistence that his students hated his rapping. Who didn't love listening to him rap? It was modern and perfect for the students! He brushed it off as he continued through the video, not really minding anything else that appeared, even Kurt being slushied in the middle of the hallway, or Santana's larger... chest area. He looked through the comments and found the degrading statements made about the glee club from anonymous sources. Well, except for Rick 'The Stick' Nelson, who posted by his full name. Shaking his head at the obliviousness the hockey player displayed, Will formulated a plan, and nodded determinedly. He sent the list of comments to the printer, and went out to the main hallway to see if anyone signed up for Glee Club.

* * *

Shannon Beiste clutched her sack lunch in her hand, holding onto a binder that previously belonged to the old McKinley coach, Ken Tanaka. In the binder listed the stats of all the current players on the football team, and cringed when she got through the first one, Quarterback Finn Hudson. Having the team and all new prospective members try out again was a definite, especially if she was supposed to make the football team win state, nationals even. So caught up in her plans for the football team, she bumped into a student. She hadn't spared a second glance at the girl as she yelled a quick sorry over her shoulder as she set up new possible plays in her mind. Had she looked at the face of the girl she bumped into, she would've seen the look of sheer disbelief, and shock. Instead, Shannon continued forward, her new plays making her excited as she recalled the possible (new, if the quarterbacks stats were anything to go by) running back who was likely driving to school at the moment, and how she was going to explain her ideas to the teenager.

* * *

Will read off the comments about the glee club when they gathered after school that day. He pointedly ignored Kurt and his response that the club really didn't care, and focused on the reactions of the other students. Santana Puckerman-Lopez sat next to Kurt in the back row, sandwiched between him and Brittany Pierce, all of which seemed unfazed, although Santana seemed to be deep in thought. In front of her was her brother, Noah Puckerman-Lopez, who looked bothered as his sister unconsciously messed with his hair. Puck sat between the attentive Artie who had a determined glint in his eyes, and Quinn Fabray, who looked just as uncomfortable as Noah when Finn, her boyfriend, wrapped his arm possessively around her waist. Next to Finn was Jake Puckerman-Lopez, a brand new freshman member who was likely dragged to the club by his older siblings. He was quiet, and seemed rather confused, not knowing what any of the names were. Mercedes sat behind Artie next to Kurt, her fellow diva, and rolled her eyes, clearly not buying into what Will was trying to do. Clear across the room, mostly likely to spare Artie the heartbreak, sat Mike and Tina, the newfound couple. They seemed too caught up with each other to really pay attention to Will. Generally, the group was a nice bunch of kids, some quiet, others boisterous. Will felt proud that he had brought this group of diverse students together, all of which becoming like a family as they struggled through many obstacles.

"Guys, matt transferred out last year, so we need a new member to fill his spot," he flinched at the harsh glare that the Puckerman-Lopez siblings shot him, but soldiered on regardless, "so if we want to beat Vocal Adrenaline, if we want to go to nationals, then we have got to be a wall of sound!" he relaxed when Jake smiled a bit(which in turn made his protective older brother and sister relax) as he figured out that Will had meant to bring in a large number of members. Seeing that the siblings were placated, the club agreed, albeit reluctantly. Will grinned, and brought out his cherry on top. "Here's the plan guys, Nationals are in New York this year," he paused, knowing that the resident divas in the group would be getting excited at the prospect of visiting every singers dream city. However, he didn't expect the tensing that came from the Puckerman siblings, as if they desperately did not want to go. His confused look went unnoticed as Noah exchanged an indiscernible look with Santana, who responded with a look akin to anguish. Jake on the other hand seemed to seethe at the thought of going to New York. He was about to go question the group when a male voice resounded in the room. "So Mr. Shue? What's the plan?" His male lead, a slightly dopey looking Finn Hudson, asked. His students looked at him expectantly, and his worries over the siblings gave way to excitement as he explained what he wanted to do.

* * *

At six years old, Noah Puckerman had a great best friend, an equally mischievous Santana Lopez. The two had always gotten into trouble together, mostly simple acts that never warranted a trip to the principal's office. But after they caused their first grade teacher to have a nervous breakdown, they knew they would face the old man in the big office.

Santana and Noah sat outside the principal's office, waiting for their parents. They hadn't yet gone inside, and were dreading what their parents would say. Noah's mom came first, sitting on the chair opposite of Santana and scolding him under her breath. Noah slouched in his chair as he took the scolding, knowing better than to talk back. Noah and his mother never noticed Santana's dad walk in, but they did hear the gasp that was let out at his arrival. Noah's mother looked up at the arriving noise, and met the eyes of Santana's father. Despite their children being best friends, they themselves had never met. Noah and Santana exchanged a look as their parents connected and began chatting, none of which had to do with the children in between them.

The next thing Noah and Santana knew, they were seven, and they were now siblings. Noah, his brother Jake, and his mother moved from Lima Heights Adjacent, and moved in with Santana and her father in the better part of town, Lima Heights. Life went great for the new siblings for three more years, up until they began visiting Noah's family over the weekend. There was a lot behind why Noah and Jake never met their uncle or cousin, but he knew that it made his mom sad. It was the reason why he was so upset when his family went to New York over the summer when he was ten. He refused to leave the hotel room to meet his cousin, and stuck with Santana who felt a similar disdain for the unknown girl. Jake, however, was only eight and was still relatively dependent on his mother's praise, and followed loyally. Noah and Santana couldn't help but feel jealous as Jake entered the hotel tired, but with a big smile on his face as he mumbled stories about 'Rachel' tiredly. Over the course of a month, it became routine for Jake to go and spend time with his cousin, often spending the night with the girl, while his siblings went to sightsee with their parents unless they would be with their relatives. The family returned with half the summer left, Noah and Santana being happy and relieved while Jake was subdued. With two months left of summer vacation, Jake happily boarded another airplane to spend the rest of summer with Rachel, while Noah and Santana scowled, unknowingly jealous of their younger brother. They ignored their brother when he returned two days before school started, bright eyed, and already excited for the family's self-made 'Chrismakkuh', when Rachel would visit them instead.

When Noah and Santana had met Rachel for the first time, they were twelve, both having successfully avoided the girl and her family for the past two years. Santana had opened the door, as Noah vehemently refused to speak, while his voice underwent puberty. She hadn't expected to see two men and a small girl on the patio, all of which seemed to perk up when they saw her. She definitely hadn't expected the sudden hug she was thrust into, as the girl lunged forward, speaking a mile a minute. Noah's mom had stepped forward with a smile, ushering the group inside, the girls being stuck together at the smaller girls' insistence. Noah had looked at them oddly when they entered the living room, but turned back to his video game, uninterested for the most part.

Noah had glared venomously, and Santana had retracted violently when Jake had entered the room, and grinned with an excited "Rachel!" exiting his lips. It was a sneak attack concocted by the family in an effort to get the trio to meet. Rachel's look morphed from being upset at Santana's actions to fear as Noah approached menacingly. He shoved past Rachel, causing her to fall to the floor with a small shriek. Santana followed, but not without sending a look to her parents, who looked angry at their son's behavior. She looked down at Rachel, who had been picked up and was crying in the arms of one of her parents (dads? She'd never seen someone with two dads. She had a dad and a mom now, but two dads sounded cool) arms. She felt bad, but Noah was her brother, and best friend and she would follow his decisions and actions. Unfortunately for her already bad conscience, Noah's plans consisted of being terrible to his cousin, and she followed his example. Rachel and her parents left two weeks early that summer, taking Jake with them for the remaining weeks. Noah and Santana weren't allowed to visit the Berry family anymore, the remaining summers being spent in Lima Ohio, while their younger brother went to visit the family every long break they had.

Two years passed without Noah or Santana hearing about Rachel (Jake learned to not speak about Rachel in the presence of his siblings) but one day, the Puckerman-Lopez siblings were suddenly pulled out of school, and put onto an airplane New York bound, Noah's mother sobbing the entire time. The hate Noah felt (who was now fourteen and going by 'Puck') went past any other type of hate he had ever felt. However, that hate instantly vanished when their family's taxi pulled up to New York General. Jake, 12, had frowned when he had entered, getting a bad feeling. Santana shuddered and held her brothers hands, and Noah stared at his mother, who pulled herself together when she exited the taxi, and was now speaking in hushed tones with the receptionist. With agonizing slowness, Noah's mom led them to room 207, and they saw her. On the bed lay the small body of Rachel Berry, bruised and bandaged. Her arm was in a cast, and her head was wrapped around her temples. All of the gauze she wore had seeped blood, and were currently being changed by a nurse. Jake had rushed forward, crying, and held the hand of the girl who was like a sister to him. Santana cried, feeling guilty for all she had done in the two weeks she had known Rachel, knowing that the small girl was no threat at all and generally kind despite her torture. Noah remained blank faced, not glaring or cringing, and stood in the doorway unmoving as his parents and sister tried to remove his screaming brother from Rachel's bedside. After his parents had relented, Noah dragged his parents to one side of the room for a discussion.

"What happened?" He questioned, not at all intimidated by the glare his sister sent him. Noah's mom began to cry as his dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders, steadying her. Looking Noah dead in the eye, Carlos Lopez spoke. "It was a hate crime mijo. Bad people kidnapped Rachel, and lured her fathers to them, and beat the 3 of them. Rachel's parents didn't make it, but by some miracle, Rachel did." Carlos rubbed his wife's shoulder, and looked over at Rachel as he spoke. "We're taking Rachel home with us, unless they can find someone who... Never mind mijo, just... Go sit with your brother and sister." Noah nodded, and sent a look at the girl he had always hated. He remembered all that he had out the girl through when he met her, and how desperate she had been to go home as soon as possible. Regret swelled within him, and he knew that he would protect the girl with a fierceness that could only be described as determination.

His determination had been lost two days later, when Rachel woke up. Jake had gone with his parents to the cafeteria while Santana and Puck stayed behind, waiting for something, anything to happen. Five minutes after his parents and Jake left, Rachel opened her eyes, which widened as she looked at the two. What happened next hadn't been expected by anyone in the room. Rachel began to tremble in fear, her heart monitor speeding up before she let out a shriek, and scooted as far back on her bed as she could. Noah and Santana flinched at the sound, and tried to move forward in an attempt to calm the girl, but when her screams just became too much, the stepped into the corner of the room, Noah rushing into the hallway after a few seconds to try getting a nurse. In the meantime, Santana watched Rachel, who cowered in the corner of her too large bed, shaking and crying for her fathers.

An aunt of Rachel's had come to pick up the recovering teen the next day, glaring at the two teenagers who stood behind their brother, who looked sadly at Rachel. Rachel smiled back shakily, and flinched when she met the eyes of her other cousins. In an attempt to get away from them, she called Jake to speak with her a little ways away, attempting to speak in hushed tones, but failing when her emotions overcame her.

"Jay, I'm probably never going to see you again. I don't know where I'm going, and when I get there, but I just want you to know I love you okay?" By now, Rachel's aunt had walked away, rubbing her eyes, muttering "dumb heart strings..." Santana and Puck didn't know what else to do as they watched their brother engage the older girl in a hug they didn't know he was capable of.

"Rae, you're my best friend, you can't leave! Take me with you, like when we were little!" Jake pleaded in an attempt to 'spend the night' like they had oh so long ago. Rachel smiled fondly at the younger boy, and ruffled his short hair, making him scowl through his tears. "Jay, you can't do that. You need to be strong okay?" Rachel's aunt had reappeared, and they all knew it was time for her to leave. "Jay, don't forget that you're my little brother okay?" And with that, she kissed his forehead, and walked past Santana and Noah, attempting to stifle a shudder as she passed and failing. Their little brother glared at them before standing tall, wiping away his tears as his family watched Rachel and her aunt disappear.

* * *

Three years had passed since then, and Noah and Santana were juniors at William McKinley High School. Both were popular students at school, Noah being the wide receiver on the football team, and Santana being the second in command of the Cheerios cheerleading team. Noah had become somewhat of a bully the year after Rachel left, but his entrance into glee club two years prior had helped him put his bullying past him, and he was just known as the schools badass, sporting a Mohawk and sleeping around the school, even having gotten a girl pregnant the year before. His son had been born, and given up for adoption. Two weeks after his birth, the mother moved away and hadn't spoken to anyone in Lima since. Santana had also become somewhat of a bully after Rachel's departure, and like her best friend, slept around to gain popularity. However, unlike her brother, she had fallen in love with her other best friend, and tried keeping it as secret as possible. Jake had grown up silently, with pride. Yes, he looked dangerous, and it didn't help that his siblings were the most feared students in school (despite the fact that they stopped physically bullying anyone.) he was a strong boy, and now he was a freshman in high school, and silently vowed to be kind to anyone like his idol, Rachel. The siblings kept New York as a taboo subject, and never spoke of it again. It was why they weren't prepared when they saw Rachel in the school quad, sitting among a throng of students who all seemed to not know one another. Rachel watched them with a blank look on her face, scrutinizing their moves. Puck faltered twice in the routine, unhinged by the stare that bored into him as he sang, while Santana's voice cracked every now and then, startling the other glee club members who shot the duo odd looks as they continued the performance. Jake, however, became the soul of the song. He grinned, and put his all into the song when he caught sight of Rachel, who smiled softly in his direction. He wanted to run to her after they completed their performance, but she was nowhere to be found. Santana and Noah tried looking for her as well, but she fell off the radar.

* * *

Noah entered the locker room, only slightly shaken as he recalled his cousin hours before. Fighting the feeling of guilt, he changed into his gym clothes so he could do whatever it was this new coach would force the team to do. He nearly had a heart attack as the new coach entered the room, having recognized her as Rachel's aunt that took her away years before. He definitely felt his heart stop as Rachel entered the locker room a few minutes later, when Rachel's aunt (now known as Coach Beiste), called out an all clear. Rachel looked at him with a steady gaze, not really bothering to give him any reaction. Rachel stood next to Beiste, looking through the stats of all of the other players, a frown on her face. Puck was thrown out of his trance when Finn nudged him. "Dude, didn't you hear her? She cut everyone from the team! Now we all have to try out again!" Puck didn't see what the big deal was, but he clapped his hand on his friends' shoulder sympathetically before tuning into the coach again.

"... Tryouts start- right now. Any questions?" Puck could tell that Finn wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of a pizza boy. "I've got 25 everything pies for a Coach Beiste?" Everyone in the locker room was confused, not knowing why their coach would do such a thing. Puck saw Rachel look up at the door rather than the pizza boy, and nudged her aunt. Beiste looked at the door before rolling her eyes. "Why don't you two-" "How much is it?" Shannon had been interrupted by Rachel, who ignored her aunt's incredulous gaze and held her hand out for the receipt she wanted. "Uh, that'll be $57.95. Can you pay for them?" Rachel nodded and went to her duffle bag at the edge of the lockers, and pulled out her wallet. She handed over the amount needed, and offered a five dollar tip to the delivery boy. He shot her a grateful grin before turning to grab all the other pizzas in the delivery. Shannon shook her head with a smile, before saying "Alright guys, it's a pizza party. Dig in; everybody has to eat at least four slices." She turned to Rachel with a smirk. "Except for you Streisand. You have to eat six." Rachel scowled, but nodded regardless, grabbing an entire pizza box from Finn, who was passing them out. "Let's go! When you're done, I want full pads out on the field. We're doing wind sprints." The boys groaned again, but Rachel rolled her eyes at the boys' frustration. "First ten to puke are off the team."

* * *

Despite the boys' reluctance, Rachel had gotten them all on field, doing their wind sprints. Rachel had the lead, quickly getting past all of them, and avoided the wet vomit from three boys who had been sent home. Puck felt queasy, but he rushed forward, trying to catch up to Rachel. Unfortunately, he had ended up slipping in some of the puke, and was sent tumbling down... into more puke. He heard laughter as he tried wiping his face, but only spread more of the substance on his practice uniform. Suddenly, he was splashed in the face with water, successfully cleansing him of the disgusting substance. Finally free of vomit, he opened his eyes, and stared right into chocolate brown orbs. Rachel stood up, and offered a hand to Puck, her face passive. Puck shook his head, "I got puke on my hands jewbro. Thanks though" and with that, he scrambled up, not wanting to make himself look weaker than he already had. "So, Rachel-" he turned around to continue conversation, but she was gone, already down the field. Puck frowned, but continued his sprints anyway, opting instead to catch Rachel after finishing. He was quickly passed by a blonde blur who seemed to chase after his cousin.

* * *

He was dead. He was definitely dead. "Dude. I can't breathe" Puck rolled his head toward the Finn's voice, who looked equally as spent as him. "Me either bro" Finn nodded and resumed looking at the sky from his spot on the ground. "Alright ladies! If you're still up to it, come to tomorrows practice. If not, don't show your face in my locker room again! Rachel, give these sissy's some water." Puck didn't need to look up to know that Rachel was not at all affected by the exercise they had undergone. She had run all of her initial laps, and then ran with her teammates until they had all fallen. "You're pretty" Noah opened his eyes at Finns words, and turned a questioning gaze to his friend. Sure enough, Rachel kneeled above him, holding his head at an angle while she squirted water in his mouth. Deeming his water consumption enough, she went onto Puck, who couldn't speak when she tilted his head gently and squirted water into his mouth. She moved on after a fair amount, leaving Puck confused.

When he was able to move, he had tried to find Rachel, but she and Coach were gone. Puck sighed before heading home, not looking forward to hearing his younger brother rave on and on about Rachel and how happy he was that she was here now.

* * *

"Who's the new kid?" Santana Lopez cringed as her best friend, Quinn Fabray, eyed Rachel like she was a piece of meat. Rachel had a locker near Quinn and was organizing her books and items to place inside. "Her name is Rachel. Rachel Berry." Quinn hadn't dragged her eyes from the brunette, and was instead mumbling the name under her breath. Santana looked at her friend oddly, and was about to speak up when the object of her affections wrapped her arms around Santana's waist. "Hey San! Hi Q!" Santana leaned backwards a bit, and smiled in Brittany's arms. Quinn mumbled a greeting, but her eyes were locked on Rachel, who began speaking to one of the football players. She saw Quinn's eyes narrow, but knew better than to speak on it. Quinn was the HBIC, and could crush Santana like a bug if she wanted to. Brittany, however, knew no limits or filters. "Ooh, I get it now! Q likes the new girl!" Quinn turned around with a face so red, Santana didn't think it was possible. When Quinn looked like she was about to yell at Brittany, Santana glared, and prepared to shoot an insult to stop her from speaking. Before either girl could speak however, a soft voice behind Quinn spoke. "Excuse me, Brittany?" The girls turned around to find Rachel, who looked past Quinn at Brittany, who had bounced up from behind Santana. "Yeah Rach?" Quinn blushed even more, but turned around and offered a smile at the petite brunette. Rachel returned the smile, but focused on Brittany otherwise. "Would you mind walking me to class?" Quinn turned to gape at Brittany, and Santana only smirked. "I still don't know my way around the school, and you were in my class yesterday so..." Rachel looked hopeful, but it was quickly wiped away by Brittany's response. "Sorry Rach. I don't know how to get to class either. Lord Tubbington steals my memories every night when I'm sleeping." Rachel looked confused but played along anyway. "I'm sorry about that Brittany. Maybe you should talk to Lord Tubbington about it?" Santana smiled at Rachel, who made eye contact with Quinn instead. "Hi I'm Rachel Berry. Would you happen to know where I can find AP Calculus with Mrs. Runnels?" Quinn nodded, her face becoming less red as she spoke. "Yeah, I can walk you to class if you want?" Rachel nodded with a smile, which made Quinn turn red once more. Quinn grabbed her book for her next class, and then turned to Rachel with a smile. "Let's go?" Rachel nodded, and then followed Quinn down the hall.

* * *

The next day, and one Finn-less football tryout later, it was time for glee club auditions. Will sat next to Kurt, one of the most judgmental singers he knew. Next to Kurt was Finn, who sulked a bit because of his loss of position on the football team. Quinn hadn't sat with him, having opted to sitting in the back with Santana and Brittany. Jake had sat with his older brother in front of Finn, and the rest of the glee club scattered within the auditorium. First audition was a Filipino girl by the name of Sunshine Corazon. "Hi. I'm Sunshine Corazon, and I'll be singing 'Listen' from the movie_ Dreamgirls_."

"_Listen_

_To the song here in my heart_

_A melody I start_

_But I can't complete_

_Listen_

_To the sound from deep within..."_

To say that her performance was enthralling would have been an understatement. Sunshine's performance had guaranteed her a set place in the Glee club, and had likely secured more than a few solos for her. Next was Marley Corcoran, a freshman. "Hi. I'm Marley Corcoran, and I'll be singing 'New York State of Mind', written by Billy Joel."

"_Some folks like to get away,_

_For a holiday from the neighborhood_

_Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood,_

_Ooh_

_But I'm taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line_

_I'm in a New York state of mind..."_

Everyone cheered for the brunette as she finished the song, her smile bright and happy. Walking off the stage, the club felt a new sense of excitement, as the new and powerful voices tried out for the club. Will looked ecstatic as he looked over the rest of the tryout sheet. Sunshine and Marley had already gone, leaving a Sam Evans, and a Rachel Berry left. "Sam Evans?" A blonde boy walked out from backstage, rubbing his shoulder as if hit. "Ow. Okay, hi. My name is Sam Evans, and I was forced here by a pipsqueak-" He smiled as he said this. "And I'll be singing 'Billionaire' by Bruno Mars."

"_I wanna be a billionaire_

_So freakin bad_

_Buy all of the things I never had_

_I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine_

_Smiling next to Oprah and the queen..."_

Not a typical audition song, but Will recognized vocal talent when he heard it, and grinned when Sam finished. Will and the rest of the club flinched however when Sam's voice echoed in the acoustics of the auditorium. "Ow! Jeez Pipsqueak- Ow! Stop hitting me!" They all looked at Sam confusedly, who was rubbing his arm again as he walked down the stage from backstage. "Um, Rachel Berry?" The Puckerman-Lopez siblings started at this, but otherwise said nothing as the petite girl walked center stage, scowling at a smirking Sam. "Hi, My name is Rachel Berry and I'll be singing 'What I did for love' by A Chorus Line"

"_Kiss today goodbye_

_The sweetness and the sorrow_

_Wish me luck_

_The same to you_

_But I can't regret_

_What I did for love _

_What I did for love..."_

Everyone, though blown away by the other auditions, went slack jawed at Rachel's performance. Every note she sang shocked all the members, entrancing them. No one could understand how such a big sound could come from such a small girl. Rachel grinned at everyone before disappearing from the stage, and grabbing Sam's hand, and dragging him out of the auditorium. Sunshine and Marley looked on, surprised by the sudden disappearance. The glee clubbers on the other hand sat shocked, unmoving. "Um, thank you for letting us audition. When will you be posting the list?" Marley broke the silence in the room, not as disturbed by Rachel's powerful voice. Will broke from his trance first, smiling widely at the other powerful singers that auditioned. "Well, Sunshine, Marley, we'll be posting tomorrow on the activities board. Thanks for auditioning." The two girls smiled, and went out the auditorium doors, leaving the silent glee club behind. Kurt was the first to speak up, his voice even more high pitched with giddy excitement. "So… we're definitely going to beat Vocal Adrenaline aren't we?" The glee club suddenly exploded, all the members speaking excitedly as they talked about their four new members. Even the Puckerman siblings joined the conversation, though they mostly spoke of a petite brunette with a powerful voice.

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**So? How'd you all like it? I know there wasn't a lot of Faberryness, but I'll gladly post a fluffy one shot I've been writing if you all would like... Feel free to PM me with any ideas you guys might have, and I'll get back to you ASAP with what I'm trying to do with this story. Review please, I'd really like to hear your criticisms (as long as they aren't you know... slander or something because that's just rude). Thanks for reading :)**

**-ClosetGleek45**

**EDIT: 4/25/14**

**So, i posted a poll onto my profile as to who i should add to the story. I put a lot of secondary characters onto the poll. Take a look at the poll and make your vote. Tell me anyone else you think i should add by reviewing. Thanks for liking my story :)**


	2. Well Hello to you too

**Wow! I was not expecting so many people to follow and favorite my story! Im glad you like it though, and i would like to thank the 6 reviewers who took that little extra bit of time to review.**

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**WorkingGirl22: Thanks for reviewing! I was hoping someone would catch that about them, it was the whole reason i made her last name Corcoran.**

**Jteri79: Thank you, i added a lot more! I didnt think i could write this much to be honest...**

**MusicWolf89: Aww i love your review. Made me feel special :3 Thanks!**

**Shi13: I hadnt planned on it... but i think i can make it work... Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Ray-Fabray: Well here you go! Fresh chapter right out of Microsoft Word. I hope you like it, and thanks for reviewing!**

**Guest: Aww thanks. Even guest reviews make me feel happy, im glad you liked it. **

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**Was I clear enough on the ages? I feel like I may or may not have confused some people.**

** Rachel/Sam/Tina/Artie/Sunshine: All 16, but Rachel **_**is**_** a junior. She skipped a grade. Everyone else is a sophomore.**

** Jake/Marley: 14 freshmen**

** Santana/Puck/Quinn/All other Glee Clubbers: 17 juniors**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or any of its characters, just the story**

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_Pain seared through her tiny scalp, and her shriek that followed the rough handling echoed in the dark building. She didn't know where she was, but she knew she was in danger. "Daddy... Papa…" her whimpers and cries for her two fathers grew as the people who took her kicked her into a corner. Something warm was flowing from her head, and she couldn't move one of her arms anymore. Her ribs were hurting, and she couldn't think past the pain that was attacking her body. Suddenly, the blows to her body stopped, and her blood filled ears barely heard the anguished "Rachel!" that came from some direction in the room. She flinched at the hands that gently pressed against her body. The hands were familiar, but she didn't trust any contact at the moment. She cowered more into the corner, hearing the other cries as two familiar voices called out to her between screams. The screams intensified as she began being kicked and hit again, her shrieks and screams spurring on the two voices that had been screaming for her. Suddenly her world went black._

* * *

Rachel sat up in her bed abruptly, sweaty and shaky as she recalled the memory. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and her thoughts were blurry with sleep and fear. She hadn't registered the arms that held her from the side until they began shaking her. Two years of self-defense classes kicked in as she swung a fist at face of whoever was holding her. "Ow! My nose! I'm bleeding! What the hell pipsqueak?"

* * *

She wanted to apologize. Honest. She hadn't meant to fall asleep on him during their Star Wars movie marathon. That was completely unintentional. Oh, and also the whole 'punching him in the nose' thing. She would have told him _why _she was punching people in her sleep, but she had punched the poor boy in the nose before, and he should've known better by now. That was off the point though, she wanted to apologize but Sam had locked himself in the bathroom and refused to let her see his bloody nose where she punched him. "Get out here Evans! What kind of quarterback can't take a punch?" The door suddenly whirled open, and Sam quickly whisked her inside the bathroom with a squeak. "What- Sam what are you doing?" "Shh!" His voice was nasally from the makeshift nose plugs made from toilet paper, but it didn't change the fact that he _shushed_ her. "Don't you _shush _me Samuel Evans!" Sam rolled his eyes at her, not caring about her indignant response, and smirked as he thought of another _brilliant_ way to tick her off. "Fine, would you mind shutting your trap?" Sam grinned as he watched Rachel's face flare in rage, and braced himself for the flurry of punches that would surely come from his word choice. Sure enough, two small (but powerful) fists began their angered ministrations on his chest, Sam's laughs echoing in the room as he tried to avoid some of the punches. "Ha- Ow. Rach, did you ever notice that I say 'Ow' a lot when I'm with you?" Rachel's punches stopped immediately as she pondered the question. "You do, don't you? Well I suppose that it means that you are either weak in terms of self-defense, or I hit you more often than the average friend. I'd rather go with the former." Sam rolled his eyes, but held Rachel's fists away in order to sidestep her towards the door. "I think it's the second one Rach." Rachel shook her head determinedly, her lips set in an amused smile as she spoke to her friend. "Regardless of the fact that you have such a weak body that submits to pain easily, I believe that we have yet to check your nose. Shall we?" Twenty minutes later, Sam's nose was blood free, and they set themselves up for another Star Wars movie. They were comfortable, though Sam sat on the beanbag chair rather than the bed with Rachel again.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Sam to work his way into Rachel's heart, his nerdy mannerisms only made him charming in her eyes as she got to know him. Normally it took a while before Rachel could get used to someone, but Sam, with his Avatar trivia and his movie impersonations made Rachel comfortable in a single day. No, she wasn't in love with the boy, not in the least (that being said the nicest way possible). Instead, he was what could be considered a reminder of her past self. She used to be filled with Broadway trivia, and she could become any personality you asked in no time flat, but after the death of her parents, she changed. Of course she still knew the Broadway trivia, and you would be asking for death if you doubted her acting skill, but the idea of Broadway didn't fill her with the passion that it used to. The life in Sam's green eyes comforted Rachel in more ways than she thought possible. Somehow, his eyes had made her comfortable with the changes she had undergone following her relocation to a small town in Missouri.

One of the biggest changes had to have been her style. Rachel lost all of the stylish city clothes in favor of anything she could find at a department store in Missouri. _New York Chic_ transformed into _Skater Girl _within a month of her relocation. And despite the fact that she was new to the school, her fast reflexes got her a position as second-string running back and a blue letterman. Occasionally she had worn the blue and white fabric, but the attention that the damn garment attracted was bad for Rachel's health. For some unknown reason, the jacket seemed to give some sort of permission of touch. The fact that Rachel was diagnosed with haphephobia when she went to a therapist was unknown to the population of the school, and for more clarification, the girls.

* * *

For _two years_, Rachel had to battle the girls at her school. To Rachel, it was absolute torture, having to avoid the many flirtatious advances by the rather _experimental _girls of the school. She was constantly reassured by her teammates at the time that school was perfect for her, seeing as she even had the head cheerleader following her. She could even remember how _that _conversation went.

* * *

"_Ahh! Goddammit!" Her teammates put their heads past their lockers to watch the girl knock her way violently into the locker room. One boy in particular, Rachel's passing buddy Blaine Anderson, had approached the girl cautiously. "Hey Rach, you okay there?" The head that lolled up to greet him was unrecognizable in comparison to the girl who had entered the school some six hours ago. This girl had disheveled hair, as if someone tried to grab her with it, her clothes were slightly ripped, and she hadn't been wearing ripped jeans that day. Her eyes held back tears, and she was shaking slightly as Blaine approached. He noticed that in Rachel's hands was her letterman jacket, unscathed despite her appearance. "Rachel?" Rachel's eyes were alternating in their focus, and her shaking became more pronounced. By now, the rest of the team had come over in concern of their starting running back, and tried to bring her back from wherever she was in her mind._

_The quarterback of the team, a cheeky Freddy Dawson, teasingly whispered in her ear something so disturbing that she would have to leave her state of mind. "Oh hey Coach. Why are you wearing a bikini?" The thought of such a sight sent shivers down his spine, and suddenly he found that he had a new image to use whenever making out got heated. Rachel seemed to have the same reaction, and visibly shuddered at the idea of seeing her aunt in a bikini. She loved her aunt like she would a mother, but there are some things that teenagers do _not_ want to see. Bringing her eyes to cover her eyes, Rachel tried to speak before the voice of the quarterback filled her eardrums. "Just kidding short stack" Rachel's hands had dropped from her face and she scowled at the howling Freddy. "Oh Jesus Rae, you should have seen your face! That was priceless!" _

_The team looked at the duo in confusion, not understanding why Rachel was suddenly hitting their quarterback with bruising force. They made no move to help the quarterback though, knowing that whatever had occurred, Freddy probably deserved it. Blaine, however, brought the team back to reality by gently sitting Rachel down on the bench she had previously occupied. "Rachel, what happened back there?" Rachel sighed, not knowing how to tell the team that she just had been scared for her life because of the insistent girls. So she decided to lie. "It's the girls, they keep on crowding me. Today was probably the worst especially since Tara-" The boys recognized the name of the head cheerleader, and were surprised to hear that the girl had been one of usual crowd to follow Rachel around. "Dude! You have Tara- who, I will remind you, never lets another person within five feet of her without her expressed permission- following you? Dude, score!" Rachel glared at the boy who had spoken, and watched him shrink under her intense gaze. "Let's get this straight _William_." The boy was a wide receiver for the team, and he usually went by Billy, so everyone knew that the boy was in for it, and they weren't about to be caught in the crossfire. "For one thing, I am not a boy. I would appreciate it if you did not use such terms like 'dude' when referring to some act that only another boy would feel accomplished in. Secondly, I am a strong believer in the feminist movement, so using such derogatory statements to describe a girl- no matter how unwelcome her advances are- is uncouth and I will not stand for such mistreatment of the female gender! And _another_ thing-" Blaine had been one of the many laughing at Billy's face, of which had since transformed to a shameful and defeated look at Rachel's words. "Rachel, just tell us, are you okay?" Rachel looked into Blaine's eyes, and the eyes of the rest of her teammates, and she could see how concerned they were. Even Billy who had been thoroughly reprimanded had snapped back to express concern for the only girl on the team. Rachel felt her heart swell at the boys' concern, but opted not to tell any of them so as to not worry them. "I'm fine boys. I just wish that they hadn't messed up my clothes." She joked, hoping it would get her some laughs and ease the tension. It worked, and the boys laughed and resumed whatever it was that they were about to do in the locker room, but not before each one of them gave Rachel an affectionate hug_

* * *

Rachel always felt a sad pang whenever she recalled her team, all of which protected the small girl on their team like any older brother would. She left her old school abruptly, and hadn't given the boys any explanation as to why she left. Though, if her team was smart enough, they would know where her school life went to hell. After two years of dealing with the random touches of the schools' rather _experimental_ girls, she had a nervous breakdown in the middle of the hallway.

* * *

_The football team had been sent upstate to play in a tournament. Rachel had been unable to go, her injuries from a game two weeks before had kept her from getting cleared, so she wasn't able to play. She still had a sprained ankle and soreness around her ribs, so her aunt and teammates insisted that she didn't exert herself and forced her to stay behind. Rachel had been fine with it, glad that people cared so much about her well-being. It's what led her to be happily walking the hallways at school instead of resting at home. That was before she was cornered. Rachel was relatively small, so whoever the girl was, she was able to easily back Rachel into an unoccupied classroom. "Hey Rach" Rachel looked up at the offending girl only to find that it was Tara, the head cheerleader. The red head had managed to push Rachel into one of the desks, and was leaning over her menacingly. Rachel flashed back to two years previous, and she could feel another episode about to occur. So she tried to do the thing she did best. She bolted. She ran away from the cheerleader like she would on the football field, ignoring the burning of her sides and refusing to let out the cry of pain at running on her injured ankle. Unfortunately the ailments slowed her down, allowing the head cheerleader to catch her in the middle of the hallway. Tara had grabbed Rachel's shoulder with bruising force, and Rachel was transported to years before. Suddenly Tara wasn't the head cheerleader; she was one of the kidnappers who killed her parents. The self-defense classes she had been taking since the accident kicked in and she twisted the red heads arm until there was a sickening crack and a bloodcurdling scream emitted from the girl. Still in a trance, Rachel had continued to try beating the girl, but suddenly there was a teacher in her way, trying to grab her fists. However, all Rachel could see was her kidnappers, all of which were getting bigger and stronger. She continued to hit whoever got in her way, until two teachers sporting bloody noses had restrained her. An ambulance had been called for Tara, but the EMT shot Rachel with a sedative before tending to the injured girl. Rachel had passed out in the hallway in the arms of two teachers that were injured by the small girl._

* * *

Shannon had been unable to return from the tournament, but Rachel was being taken care of. The hospital was able to house Rachel until the return of her guardian, and was sending the girl to therapy sessions with the hospital psychiatrist. When Shannon had returned, leaving a confused tournament winning team in the school parking lot, Rachel had a diagnosis. "Your niece is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in regards to the accident in New York. I recommend that Rachel does not return to school, so that she does not come in contact with anyone that may have triggered the episode. Seeing someone that triggered her reaction might cause Rachel to relapse into a similar episode and the aftermath will not be pretty." The psychiatrist continued with her evaluation, but Shannon had tuned her out, planning how she would readjust her niece in spite of her condition. When the two had come face-to-face, Shannon told Rachel that they would be moving as soon as possible.

As promised, a week had passed and Rachel and Shannon were on their way to the suburbia that was Lima, Ohio. This was the designated location only because there was no possible way that anyone from Missouri could track them. With exception of the cheerleading team, Lima was off the map. There was no way possible for anyone to find her there. She spent the remainder of the school year, four months, moving from house to house until Shannon was able to secure a stable job as football coach at McKinley High School. By the time they had finally settled, summer had begun. Rachel was still afraid of another episode occurring, so she stayed out of sight until the day she had met Samuel Evans.

* * *

_Shannon had gone out to meet the principal of the school they would be going to, and wouldn't be back for an hour or so. She didn't know what to do, but after the third knock, she looked through the peep hole. To say she was relieved that there was only a small blonde child on the door step would have been an understatement. However, that feeling changed immediately when the small blonde boy disappeared and was replaced by a tall grinning one. Before she could shut the door in his face however, he had thrust a casserole into her arms. They were silent for a moment, Rachel eying the boy and being unable to say anything due to the shock. On the other hand, the unknown teen standing in front of her seemed to be bursting with excitement. She still couldn't speak even as the boy started spouting things faster than she could comprehend. "Hey my name is Sam Evans and I live next door to you. I saw you guys move in and I noticed that you hadn't left your house yet and I thought that was weird. Oh, not weird like you're weird, but weird like…" Rachel tuned the rest of what he said out, focusing on the boy in general. He was blonde. Like really blonde. And he had this boy next door feel to him- which was true judging by what he said earlier. And he had a huge mouth. It kind of threw off his face, but it fit his nice guy persona. She knew he wasn't just an act too, he was genuinely nice, and she could tell because of his eyes._

_His eyes were bright, and his brown eyes sparkled when he spoke. She didn't have to pay attention to words to know he was passionate about what he was saying. Oh right, he was still talking wasn't he? "And that's how me and my team snuck into that wax museum. Cool right?" What? What wax museum? How did he get there from introducing himself? Whatever, she would deal with that subject some other time, he was expecting a response. "Yeah, that's really cool. You said your name was Sam right?" She saw his eyes sparkle and knew he was about to go off on her again. "Yeah, well its short for Samuel, I was named after my great-granddad Samuel Erickson Evans. But-" Rachel knew that this would go on for a long time. "Hey Sam, that's cool and all, but I figure I should tell you my name. I'm Rachel Berry, and I live here with my aunt Shannon." Sam smiled at her with his large mouth and held his hand out. Without hesitation, Rachel shook it even though she was incredulous at her comfort with the boy despite the short time they knew each other. "It's nice to meet you Rachel Berry" Rachel smiled, grateful that she made a new friend in this quiet town. That feeling lasted for about two seconds. "Hey you're really small. Can I call you pipsqueak? Ow! Why'd you hit me?"_

* * *

For the ridiculously long three-month summer, Rachel spent all of her time with the nerd. She learned that the boy who had helped Sam with tricking her out of her house was Sam's little brother, Stevie. The boy was a typical prankster, using what spare change he had to buy whoopee cushions and any other knick knack he could get his hands on. He was a sweet kid despite his pranks, but he rarely showed that side of him in order to maintain a 'manly' image. His birthday was toward the end of the summer, so Rachel bought him a gift card to the local prank shop, earning her the biggest grin she had ever seen and a rarely given hug.

Sam also had a sister, who Rachel 'adopted'. Stacey was Rachel's favorite little kid, no offence to Stevie, but she knew what it was like to have someone that was like a little brother, so her new little sister made her ecstatic. Stacey was taught all the things Rachel knew about dance and song, and the little girl was a little Rachel Berry in no time, going so far as to adopt her 'gold star' metaphor but exchange the color to pink. When Rachel wasn't taking her dance, vocal or self-defense lessons, she was spending time with the little girl.

Her aunt Shannon also got to know the Evans family well, and had recruited Rachel to teach the Evans boys football. In no time, Sam had the skill to become the next quarterback, and Stevie had been bursting to show off at school in the fall. The two families pretty much fused, neither having trouble with their kids running through either house. Rachel treasured the feeling of having a dad again, Dwight Evans making her feel like any dad would, and often teased her or put her above his own son. Mary Evans also made a big impact on her, having taught her the more domestic things her aunt Shannon wasn't able to do. In short, it was quite possibly the best summer vacation that Rachel had ever had. Not only had she gained a new best friend, but she also got a family.

* * *

Summer was perfect, but all summers had to come to an end. So far, school had been great if you didn't mind the lack of actual education. She didn't have any classes with Sam because all of her classes were AP and Sam was dyslexic so he had mostly regular or remedial courses. Luckily for the best friends, they had lunch period together, so they ate their respective lunches: a turkey on wheat sandwich for the anti-carbohydrate, and a tofu salad for the vegan. That was around the time she saw them. She saw Jake first, him being one of the main singers who started the song. At first, he hadn't seemed to put his all into the song, but then they made eye contact. Initially he seemed shocked, but he got over it quickly enough and his energy only added onto the performance. Instantly his dance moves had a crisp edge (she recognized that one dip move she taught him when he was 9), and his singing became more enunciated and soulful (diaphragm usage. Something she was currently teaching Stacey). She smiled at the onslaught of memories that rushed to her head at the sight of the younger boy, who had transformed from a blubbering mess at her departure to a strong young man. No doubt he would want to talk to her after the performance, and she was happy to fulfill that want. She continued watching the performance, eager to speak to her cousin.

* * *

Scratch that, Noah was here. Judging by how he stopped dancing and singing for a second (very unprofessional), he saw her too. The next set of memories left a bad taste in her mouth as she recalled him pulling her hair and hitting her that time they had met. She didn't know why he hated her so much, he had avoided her each year they had known about one another. What she had done to garner his unwanted attention was beyond her, he had gone so far as to team up with Santana to carry her bed out into the front yard, and she woke up to the sprinklers hitting her and her cousins laughter from inside the house. They had managed to keep their parents oblivious to her situation until she broke a window… but that was another story. Speaking of which, Santana seemed to have noticed her too, if her cracking voice was anything to go by. She remembered how Santana had allowed Rachel to hug her… the warm memories faded instantly at the memory of Santana pushing her away, and the glare she had given her after Noah's departure. The two weeks that followed were absolute torture, and Rachel had begged her fathers to let her leave. At first they had been adamant in refusing, but after Noah tried setting Rachel's hair on fire (how did he even get ahold of a fire starter?), her fathers rushed her out of wherever they were.

They had been hesitant to bring Jake, but he had proven that he would never do that sort of thing with Rachel throughout the week. He had fought Noah for her, pranked Santana in Rachel's defense, and went to the adults whenever Noah and Santana had a prank he had no power to stop. She hadn't known that this was where they lived. She had made it clear to Jake that he should never speak of his siblings when she began to cry at the memories. She had managed to block everything out, but the sight of the siblings made all the terrible memories from the past rush forward. Her thoughts began to delve into the gay bashing two years before, but she was shook out of those thoughts by Sam's concerned voice. "Hey Tiny, you okay? You look white. Which is weird because I'm the white person in this friendship, you're the tan skinned… wait what are you?" Sam's question, though slightly racist, snapped her away from her dangerous thoughts. Despite the memories being gone, she knew her cousins would want to speak to her. With a quick glance, she noticed that the song was still going on, except now they were dancing on the stairs. "Tiny?" Snapping her head towards Sam, she wordlessly grabbed his arm and dragged him towards one of the buildings. Once entering, she noticed that it was a library, and completely devoid of life, with exception to the librarian… though that was debatable, if her posture was anything to go by. She was grateful when Sam just pulled her to him without a word, knowing that she just needed comfort. They stayed that way for the rest of the lunch period, silent, comforted by each other's presence. They separated when the bell rang, and Rachel promised to tell Sam about what happened to her after football tryouts.

* * *

Five minutes later, Rachel ran into one of the people that would make her life at McKinley bearable: Brittany S. Pierce. No, the blonde was far from being considered 'conventional', however she was quite possibly one of the sweetest people Rachel knew. Rachel had met the blonde on her way to AP Calculus, and had turned the corner only to run into the taller girl. The force behind the accidental collision had caused the smaller girl to fall backward, but two long arms caught the girl before she could embarrass herself any further. "Hi. My name is Brittany S. Pierce. And you're hot. Are you okay?"

* * *

After the rather… _surprising _introduction, Rachel got to know the blonde during their shared class. While it was rather surprising to see Brittany spout off answers as if they were nothing, Rachel got used to it pretty quickly, and responded to every note that the blonde sent her way. By the time class was over, the binder that was previously reserved for the notes she would take in class, was filled with the scribbles of two girls who met only the period before. Brittany had ran off with a quick hug to Rachel as soon as the bell rang, so Rachel had walked out of her class with a smile, and headed for the only other blonde she knew. "Oh, hey Rach. How was class?"

* * *

The rest of the day consisted of attending her classes, and hiding from her family. So far, she was successful in her conquest of avoidance, but when she saw Noah walk into the boys' locker room at the end of the day, she knew it was over. After Shannon gave her the all clear, Rachel put on her best _I-don't-care_ face, and pretended to look at the stats of the team to avoid the piercing hazel eyes that watched her.

* * *

Idiots. Idiots _everywhere_. Those were Rachel's thoughts as the 'too old to be a delivery boy' delivery boy walked into the locker room. She had been the only one to notice the muffled laughter due to her acute hearing, and had been the only one to see a blonde mess and a curly brown. She rolled her eyes at the immaturity of the resident adults of Lima, Ohio and instead nudged her aunt in the direction of the culprits. Throughout the interaction, Rachel had noticed green and hazel eyes that were trained on her the entire time. Instead of acknowledging the respective gazes of those of whom in her life (add some brown eyes to the mix, her aunt was looking at her now too), she decided to get the whole debacle over with and pay the damn man-child. _'Why here? Football is supposed to be _my_ safe haven. Jesus'_

The boys on the football roster were worse than she thought. This tall guy, former quarterback if she remembered correctly, had begun to mutter about just ditching the tryout by one day. In a few short moments, the rest of the prospective members, save Noah (he was still staring at her) Rachel and Sam, had started rallying behind the tall idiot who seemed so _smug_ about convincing everyone to ditch. Anger flared within her as she took in the team, all of which seemed to be getting ready to leave, and she rushed right up to the taller boy. "You listen here you _imbecile_, I did not pay _fifty-eight dollars_' worth of pizza just so you could go and just _leave_ when we have tryouts. I _personally _know coach Beiste, so I know that the _moment_ you leave this locker room to a place that isn't the _football field_, you will be cut faster than a _turkey_ on _thanksgiving_!" By the end of her long winded (and generally unnecessary if she was honest) scolding, Rachel rushed the boys out onto the field, all of which were afraid of receive the same scolding by the small girl. Even Noah, who had been in a trance the ever since Rachel had paid for the pizza's, had snapped to attention and dutifully did his wind sprints. With one exchanged look with her best friend, Rachel and Sam took the lead.

* * *

Years of dance lessons had made her body nimble, and she knew how to keep her steps light in order to execute the perfect plié. Years of singing had made it so that Rachel could inhale deep breaths and hold them with no problem, effectively controlling her breathing. Combine the two, then input the football coach aunt, then add the remaining bit about her size, and you have Rachel Berry. Rachel was to be considered a perfect football player. Her size and quick feet had gotten her a position as running back. Of course, in any other school the position was debatable, but at this school, where the win percentage was zero, her position was guaranteed.

* * *

Rachel rolled her eyes as she watched another guy puke on the field before stumbling away. She was still in the lead for wind sprints, Sam having slowed his pace half way through. The old quarterback, Hudson from what she could tell, was in the pack of football players who had a slow, but fast enough pace to not get in trouble with Coach Beiste. Ahead of all of them, even Sam, was Noah, who kept a relentless pace in order to keep up with her, but it was proving worthless. Rachel was far ahead of everyone, and she had completed her laps long before, now only doing so because she needed a ride from her aunt later and wasn't keen on being patient. She had been running mindlessly now, knowing that she wouldn't likely run into Noah when she saw someone fall face first in a puddle of puke. It was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen, and she had hung out with teenage boys before. Deciding to help, she jogged over to her bag and grabbed her water bottle. She jogged back to the boy only to find him trying to wipe off the offending substance, and only spread it around even more. Disgusted and not wanting to see anything more, she squirted the water in his face and jersey. She had felt some relief seeing the water wash away, but the feeling quickly changed when she saw that the player was Noah. He still had his eyes closed, and hadn't yet recognized her, so Rachel did the only thing she thought was easy. She acted. She felt immense fear in his presence, but she kept a poker face, refusing to let him know she was afraid. Despite the fact that she could feel the tears and the shakes beginning, she stood up, and offered a hand to her cousin. The boy smiled, surprising the brunette, before saying "I got puke on my hands jewbro, thanks though" and made the move to stand up. Rachel bolted down the field before he could even gain the rest of his balance. She tried to focus on running, but her tears mixed in with the sweat and her shakes were disguised by her strides. She could hear Sam's calls but ignored them in favor of going faster, avoiding Noah at all costs.

* * *

Life liked to go against her, she quickly figured. When her aunt had called for Rachel, and told her to water each of the boys, she quickly figured that it would end with her drowning one of the players. The time came sooner than she thought, as she was faced with a slightly pudgy white guy. He seemed like a sweet guy from the outside, but she saw him throw something red at a kid who tried to stand up to any attackers. He wasn't eyeing her, far from it. He was eyeing _Sam_, who had taken off all of the pads and was drinking water. Sam was making a show of it for the cheerleaders off the side of the field, and apparently the show extended to tired closeted football players. Rachel thought that maybe, _just maybe_, she could get along with the boy. However, all thoughts of friendship flew out the window as his buddy, a large black boy, nudged him in her direction. "Check _that _out. I'd tap that!" Rachel could see the boy transform from dreamy and relaxed, to cocky and tense as his friend regarded his attention. "Hell yeah! -" He peeked over at Sam who had stripped to a muscle shirt, "-Babe, if you want a little _attention_…" he weakly thrust his hips into the air and Rachel saw red. "You know where to call me." Rachel stared down at him coldly before thrusting a water bottle into his mouth and keeping it there until he looked like he really couldn't breathe. Rachel knew she could lie and say that she wasn't paying attention and was caught up in the mobile muscle show that is Sam, but she didn't want to spend a single minute in jail. "Oops, my bad." She gave him a cheeky grin before doing the same to the bigger boy, and smirked when the duo exchanged frightened looks. "Just so you guys know," Rachel stared at them both in the eye, making sure they knew she was serious. "I'm a strong supporter of feminism" She left, making sure the majority of the boys saw what she was capable of so that anything like what just happened wouldn't occur once more. Sure enough, the next boy she got to was shaking when she reached him, and as she tilted his head so that he could drink properly, she smiled.

* * *

Sam had finally started helping her in hydrating the rest of the team, and had unfortunately left her with Noah and Hudson. She tried delaying the inevitable, but there were only so many boys she could drown. Resigned, she headed toward the duo that lay in the grass, complaining of the pain they felt in their lungs. Hudson went first, she decided, as she kneeled beside him. "You're pretty." She was surprised by the endearing phrase, but after the initial shock, she shook her head. The boy was an idiot from what she'd seen, and she didn't date anyone who couldn't keep up with her intellectually. She squirted more water in his mouth than she had the other boys, but this one seemed to be able to handle the amount, and had no trouble drinking the fluid. He was even able to give her some _incredibly creepy _open mouthed grin. She rolled her eyes and gladly went to her cousin. Noah seemed confused as she tilted his head, and actually gave him the correct amount of water. She tried not to dwell on why she had been so kind to her childhood tormenter, and instead grabbed Sam and rushed him to the locker room to grab their items. After grabbing their duffels, they headed over to Shannon's truck, and threw their stuff into the bed. Shannon was blasting country music, so all Rachel and Sam did was sing along with the older woman the whole ride home. Sam sent her odd looks as they sang, but Rachel ignored them in favor of getting lost in the songs.

* * *

Rachel had managed to avoid Sam's questions, and went straight to her locker after she had driven both of them to school. At her locker, she felt the eyes. She had no idea who they belonged to, but she felt them as she tried the combination she was given. When she found that the combination was incorrect, Rachel frowned, but walked away otherwise, still feeling the two eyes burning holes in the back of her head. She shook off the feeling as she rounded the corner and the eyes left. She disregarded the previous two minutes and headed toward administration to ask about the combination on her locker.

* * *

She was in her second period when she felt the eyes again. She looked around the room in an attempt to find whoever it was that staring at her, but all the students were on their phones, playing whatever game was popular now. She knew it wasn't the teacher because the teacher had fallen asleep after writing down a book assignment at the beginning of class. She tried to find whoever it was that was staring at her, but the feeling left immediately, as though it never happened. Rachel looked over at the door, where a few lockers gave a great visual of her seat.

* * *

It was lunchtime, and though the feeling of being watched hadn't left the singer, she was relieved to see Sam sitting at a table with an Asian boy. They were tossing an apple at each other, and seemed to be having a great time. "Ha-ha- hey! Not the face man! That's my money maker!" Rachel rolled her eyes and slapped Sam in the back of the head as she sat down. Mike was grinning at the both of them, and held his hand out for Rachel to shake. "Hey, my name is Mike Chang. I'm a junior, nice to meet you." Rachel shook his hand quickly, wanting to lose contact though he seemed like a nice guy. "I'm Rachel Berry, Junior." Mike offered her another grin before tossing his apple over at Sam's face, who scowled but didn't say anything in fear of Rachel's hand. "I know who you are, you're the girl who tried out for football yesterday and beat everyone's asses. Even mine. That's pretty cool considering I can run pretty fast." Rachel flashed back to tryouts the day before, and remembered the boy who had kept up with Sam for the most part and hadn't fallen at the very end. This boy was someone to look into for the football team. "Well Mike, if you can keep up with our future quarterback, than I'm pretty sure you'll be one of the players that make the team." Mike grinned brightly at her, and she smiled back, happy to have made a new friend. The feeling dropped however when Sam had grabbed her turkey sandwich (she had thought about going vegan once, but Shannon was a carnivore all the way), and tossed it to Mike. She scowled at Sam, then Mike as she tried grabbing her sandwich from the boys playing monkey-in-the-middle. Though annoyed, Rachel was glad to be distracted from the mysterious stare that was boring into her back.

* * *

She was getting tired of the stares when lunch was over, and she was at her locker. She finally got the combination, and now all she wanted was to put her books in her locker and find Brittany so that she could take her to class. She had an incredible memory when it came to music, but school maps? Not so much. Sam had already stopped by her locker, talking to her before he walked off to meet Mike for their shared art class. When the stare finally left her, she turned around, and saw Brittany with Santana and another blonde girl. Seeing her cousin made her not want to approach the taller girl, but she wasn't about to skip a class because she got lost. She walked up to the group and suppressed the shivers at being such a close proximity with her cousin, and forced herself to talk to Brittany. "Excuse me, Brittany?" The girl's attention went straight to Rachel, and the small brunette found herself faced with the same stare she had felt all day. Slightly scared, she avoided looking at the red faced blonde and focused on Brittany. "Yeah Rach?" Rachel saw the shorter blonde give Rachel a smile, and being the polite person she is, she responded the same way though focused on Brittany so as to not give the girl any ideas. "Would you mind walking me to class today?" Rachel saw the way the hazel eyed blonde turned to Brittany, but she tried not to think about what it meant. The blonde was gaping at Brittany, and she saw Santana smirk at the blonde. "Sorry Rach, I don't know where class is either. Lord Tubbington steals my memories when I'm sleeping." She recalled the note sitting on her desk at home about a certain obese cat that was battling smoking addiction. She knew Brittany was a sweet girl though, and decided to play along. "I'm sorry about that Brittany. Maybe you should talk to Lord Tubbington about it." She saw Santana smile at her, and she tried to avoid looking at the taller brunette.

Because she was unable to walk with the taller girl, she turned to her options. Santana, who used to torment her as a child, or mysterious blonde girl she didn't know, who was pretty but had been staring at her creepily for the last few hours? She picked the better option. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. Would you happen to know where AP Calculus with Mrs. Runnels is?" Rachel saw the blond girl perk up, then simply nod as she realized what she was doing. "Yeah, I can walk you to class if you want?" Rachel nodded, not at all minding the potential stalker she was about to walk with. Closing her locker, the blonde turned to Rachel and the girls set off to Rachel's class.

* * *

"My name is Quinn, by the way. Quinn Fabray." Rachel was surprised to see that the blonde girl spoke, them having kept quiet the past few moments as they approached Rachel's class. "It's nice to meet you Quinn" She figured it was a safe and neutral response, and hadn't counted for the way her heart fluttered at the sight of Quinn's grin. They stopped walking as they reached their destination, staring at each other before a black girl approached the doorway. "Hey girl! You don't have Runnels right now, what are you doing here?" Quinn and Rachel snapped out of wherever they were, blushing beet red before Rachel scrambled inside. She smiled as she heard Quinn's response. "Oh, just walking my friend to class."

When Brittany plopped into her chair a few moments after the bell had rang, she knew something was up. "So how was walking with Quinn?" Rachel could see there was more behind the question, so she answered slowly, cautiously. "It was… nice" Brittany beamed, and looked so proud of herself. "I knew letting you guys walk to class together was a good idea!" Since Brittany came to class, Rachel noticed that Brittany had no accompaniment, and she had walked to class with no problem. She couldn't help but stare at the smiling blonde, who wasn't as airheaded as she seemed.

* * *

After Rachel had hurriedly changed for football tryouts, she saw Hudson pushing a wheelchair down the hall. Both boys had terror written on their faces, confusing Rachel. Hudson didn't seem like too bad of a guy, and that look of terror didn't seem like it belonged on his dopey looking face. Shrugging it off, she made her way to the locker room and waited for the 'all clear' from her aunt. She was let in faster than she had been the day before, surprising her. Mike had told her at lunch that the boys always got ready slow, just so they could avoid practice as long as possible, so Rachel had been ready to wait for about fifteen minutes. When she got inside, most players were just adjusting their practice jerseys, save the few who were silently whispering to the whole team to hurry up. Rachel saw her aunt violently throw a towel at one of the lockers and walk away. She looked over at Sam who shook his head and mouthed 'I'll tell you later'. With a frown, Rachel did her warm up stretches and went out on the field, noticing that Hudson wasn't present on the field.

Shannon didn't come home until after Rachel had gone to bed, but by then Rachel had learned of what happened. For some reason, her aunt had been on edge, and when that wheelchair kid and Hudson had come in, asking what they asked, Shannon blew up. Rachel had wanted to talk to her aunt, but the woman was evasive, and had managed to escape her niece with little to no problem. When Rachel arrived at school the next day, she was worried. She hadn't seen her aunt since tryouts the day before, and today she would be making the cuts, and deciding who made the team. Because she never wanted anyone to alter the list, Shannon always did her work locked in her in home office, so Rachel knew she wouldn't see her aunt unless in passing today.

She sighed into her locker before placing her bag inside and turning around. She needed to make it to class, and she still didn't know her way around the school. Yesterday had consisted of asking various upperclassmen where she was supposed to go and… Quinn. The blonde was pretty, extremely so, and she seemed kind. She had caught the blonde staring at her in the hallways, and now that she knew who it was that watched her, Rachel didn't feel as weird. She still squirmed whenever she felt the pair of eyes on her, but you could call her squirming _pleasant_. Rachel never felt this way before, not with any girl since New York really. She was not at all against having feelings for someone of the same sex; she was raised by two men for god's sake, but after her last experience in Missouri, she wasn't so keen on the idea.

Rachel looked a little ways away down the hall. Quinn wasn't staring at her at the moment, instead grabbing books and binders from her locker before closing it. As soon as the door was closed, she turned her eyes directly at Rachel, and smiled when they locked eyes. Rachel squeaked and blushed in embarrassment, but otherwise didn't move when Quinn advanced toward her. "Hello Rachel. How are you today?" Rachel looked into the eyes of a slightly smirking blonde, and narrowed her eyes. Rachel Berry does _not_ let others smirk at her expense.

"Why hello Quinn. My day has been wonderful, especially since my routine hasn't changed." Quinn arched an eyebrow at the shorter girl, intrigued by the brunette's words. "Routine? Tell me about this _routine_." Rachel squirmed as Quinn leaned on the locker next to hers, waiting for her answer. "Well, every morning I wake up at five," she chanced a look at Quinn, who was looking at her with a soft smile, making Rachel's insides flutter. "And I go on my elliptical. For forty-five minutes I do a workout regimen then I spend twenty minutes doing vocal exercises in the shower. After that-" "Vocal exercises?" Rachel looked up at the blonde curiously, who seemed excited to hear her response. "Yes, I do vocal exercises every day. I need to keep my voice up if I ever want to sing on a stage." "Well, you should join Glee Club." Rachel cocked an eyebrow at the girl "Glee club? Isn't that Mr. Shuester's club?" Quinn nodded as she smiled at the girl. "Yeah, he's kind of a weird teacher, but he's pretty cool. The club is fun too, so I think you would like it. Its show choir too, so it's a lot of dancing and we perform at a lot of competitions." Rachel went over the options. She loved to sing, and dancing was always fun. Why not? "Yeah, I guess I'll join. I'll even bring a friend of mine, where will we meet?" Quinn's smile was big and contagious as a smile spread on Rachel's face as well. "Today we have auditions in the auditorium after school. What song will you sing? I can't wait…" Rachel smiled as Quinn went on, excited for what was to come afterschool. As Quinn rattled off instructions on what to do to get on the audition sheet, she formulated a plan to get Sam to join with her.

* * *

"No." Sam walked away from his friend briskly, refusing to agree to her proposal. "Oh come on Evans! Live a little! What's so wrong about joining glee?" Sam whirled around to face the girl, eyebrow raised. "Why do you even want to join? You had no interest when Mr. Shue brought it up in Spanish the last two days!" Rachel faltered, not knowing how to tell her best friend that she wanted to join because Quinn was in the club. "No reason. Just join with me!" "No!" Rachel put on her best sad puppy look. "Please?" Sam's scowled. "Don't you dare." Rachel pushed out her bottom lip. "Pretty please?" Sam's scowl deepened as he took in his best friend. "_No._ I don't want to join- aw please don't make that face, I'll join I'll join." Rachel grinned as she wiped her teary eyes. "That's wonderful, let's go sign up!" Sam rolled his eyes as he followed his friend down the hall, cursing her acting ability.

* * *

When Rachel went to the auditorium, she was surprised to see someone that looked identical to herself. Taller, yes, but nonetheless similar. The same look of shock appeared on the girls face as they made eye contact, but they made no move to acknowledge the fact. The taller of the brunettes was making conversation with a short Filipino girl, but her eyes were locked with Rachel, who stared right back. The short girl turned, a bright smile on her face. '_Like sunshine'_ Rachel thought. "Hello, my name is Sunshine Corazon. And you are?" Rachel's lips quirked up when she heard Sunshine's name, but gave the smaller girl a little wave. "My name is Rachel Berry" She turned to the taller brunette, who awkwardly pushed her skirt down with a slight laugh. "I'm Marley Corcoran. So…" A slightly awkward silence filled the room, but Sunshine quickly filled it. "What are you guys going to sing? I'm singing-" "Sunshine Corazon?" The voice of Will Shuester filled the auditorium, cueing the girl in question. "Well I guess it's my turn. Wish me luck!" The two brunettes smiled at the excited girl and wished her luck. "Good luck!" "Break a leg!" The two brunettes decided to fill the silence with Sunshine again, listening in awe of her singing ability. When Sunshine finished, they each congratulated her before she went off and into the auditorium seats. "Marley Corcoran?" Marley nervously fiddled with the hem of her shirt, creating another awkward silence between the two. "Well… I guess it's my turn." Rachel looked at her shoes, not knowing why she felt so odd with the girl. "Yeah, it is..." The two looked at each other once more, before Rachel smiled softly, and pointed at the stage. Marley turned red, and grinned at Rachel before turning to the stage. "Good luck Marley! Break a leg!" Rachel didn't know why she called out, but when Marley gave her a smile before she disappeared in front of the curtain, Rachel was happy.

* * *

Marley's rendition of _New York State of Mind_ by Billy Joel (popularized by Barbara Streisand) was enthralling, but Rachel had to snap herself away from being amazed to worry why Sam wasn't here yet. When Rachel saw a blonde bowl cut enter the backdoor on the second to last line of the song, Rachel's worry quickly changed into anger. Marching up to the unsuspecting boy, she quickly delivered a punch to his arm, causing the boy to let out a yelp of pain, but was muffled by the hand Rachel used to cover his mouth. She glared at the boy for making noise, and he shrunk back from her gaze. Rachel made the move to speak, but she was interrupted by the timid voice of Marley. "Um, Sam Evans? You were just called." Rachel smiled at Marley, but turned a stern look at Sam who smiled at Rachel cockily. "Just go over there Evans"

* * *

After Rachel had delivered her punishment to Sam after his performance, she stepped out into the spotlight. She couldn't see anyone in the auditorium, but she knew who to expect in there. She knew Mr. Shuester was the one holding auditions, so he would be there. Quinn was a part of the club, so she would still be waiting for Rachel's audition. The thought of Quinn waiting for Rachel to audition put a smile of the brunettes face, though she had no idea why. She also knew that Sam, Marley and Sunshine would be in the crowd, waiting to see all the auditions. With that in mind, she smiled and thought about how much fun it could be with all of the other auditioners, and launched into her song.

When Rachel finished, she hopped off the stage to go see when the rest of the club list would be posted, but as soon as she stepped off of the side stairs and into the auditorium, she saw Jake and Noah. Rachel was shocked, but when she chanced a glance at Quinn, she saw Santana and Brittany. Rachel stepped back into the stairway, and composed herself, plastering on a smile and headed straight for her best friend, who smiled at her as they ran away from the club. When they exited the school and got into Rachel's car, Sam pulled Rachel to him, holding her as she cried terrified tears, blubbering the truth about the relatives that scared her more than anything had before.

* * *

**This was hard to write, considering the fact that I tried to fill this with as much backround as I could. OH! I posted a poll onto my profile about adding characters, so I hope you vote. It should help me provide more backround to the story.**

**If anyone is wondering... I made Rachel and Sam best friends because:**

**-Sam was a new transfer student at the beginning of season 2, so I figure if Rachel came at the same time, they would be great friends. **

**-Does anyone remember the season 3 episode 'Hold on to Sixteen'? Well when they were singing **_**We are Young**_** at the end, Rachel was hugging Sam to her, and I thought it was the cutest thing. They would be great friends, and generally a cute duo. I dont know, i just love the two as best friends. :P**

**Well, I hope you liked it. Ill update as soon as possible, ibe been busy for a while though, working on essays and such. My birthday was last weekend too, and I had a slumber party that kept me from writing on the weekend. Thanks for reading!**

**~ClosetGleek45**

**4/27/14**


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